The Guts & Glory Program

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  July, 2004  by Jule Klotter

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Restoring Your Digestive Health

by Jordan S. Rubin, NMD & Joseph Brasco, MD

Twin Streams--Kensington Publishing Corp., 850 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10022 USA; www.kensingtonbooks.com

Softbound; ISBN 0-7582-0282-2; 2003; 400 pp; $15/$21

Except for the common cold, digestive problems drive people to the doctor more than any other ailment. Jordan S. Rubin, NMD, and Joseph Brasco, MD, believe that both the cause of digestive disorders and their cure lie in the foods people eat. Their book Restoring Your Digestive Health draws on personal and clinical experience. Jordan Rubin, who recovered from a severe case of Crohn's disease, first came to the attention of Townsend Letter readers with Morton Walker's 1997 article on soil-based organisms. Joseph Brasco, MD, is a practicing, board-certified gastroenterologist. Their book gives motivated people, suffering from gastrointestinal disorders, a blueprint for restoring health. It also critiques some of the many supplements, diets, and alternative treatments that Rubin tried in his attempt to overcome Crohn's.

Jordan Rubin developed Crohn's disease at age 19, the summer after his freshman year of college. His weight plunged from a normal of 175-80 pounds down to 120. X-rays showed inflammation in his small and large intestines. He had 10-15 bowel movements a day and was unable to sleep through the night without going to the bathroom almost every hour. At one point, he was taking two anti-inflammatories, two antibiotics, Diflucan for thrush, and an acid-suppressant. Rubin believes that the high-carbohydrate, low-protein, almost-no-fat diet that he went on "to get in shape" and the high stress of his many college activities led to the illness. Since conventional medicine offered control of symptoms but no cure, Rubin turned to alternative medicine, seeking help from 70 health practitioners in seven countries and 300 different 'miracle' products--without success. He found some relief with the low-carbohydrate diet outlined in Elaine Gottschall's book Breaking the Vicious Cycle, but it wasn't until a nutritionist taught him what and how to eat that he saw an improvement. By changing his eating patterns and supplementing with homeostatic soil-based organisms (discovered and developed by Peter W. Daubner, PhD), Rubin was able to stop taking all the medications and regained his health.

Similar to the diet that the nutritionist had advised Rubin to follow, the Guts and Glory Program, outlined in Restoring Your Digestive Health, avoids modern processed foods and emphasizes meat from organically-raised, grass-fed animals; raw, fermented goat's milk in the form of kefir or yogurt; vegetables; fruits; and certain fats like goat butter, coconut oil/butter, olive oil, and flax seed oil. The authors also encourage readers to consume fermented vegetables and fruits, because of the lactobacilli they contain, and easily-digested, nutrient-rich homemade stocks and broths. Restoring Your Digestive Health explains the reasons for these food choices in detail. "If this book had a mantra," the authors write, "it would be this: Decrease the total amount of carbohydrates you eat and be selective about the quality of the carbohydrates you eat." Carbohydrates are especially difficult for people with digestive problems to break down. Because of this, some undigested carbohydrates end up feeding harmful bacteria in the small intestine. These bacteria damage the intestinal wall and further impair digestion. The Guts and Glory Program also includes some supplements, such as digestive enzymes, water additives, anti-inflammatory formulas, and bentonite clay. Homeostatic soil-based organisms (HSOs), made by Rubin's company Garden of Life, play a major part in the program. Sources for recommended foods and supplements are included in the book.

The Guts and Glory Program is divided into three phases. The first phase, during which 'Brasco Broth' is eaten throughout the day (recipe is included), is designed to rest the bowel and encourage the repair of the bowel lining. It also reduces inflammation, rehydrates the body, and reduces the total microflora. When improvement is noticed (usually 7-14 days, or sooner), the second phase begins. During this phase, which also lasts 7-14 days, fermented goat dairy products and more steamed vegetables are added to the diet. Additional probiotic supplements help reinoculation of the gut with friendly bacteria, lowering colonic pH and improving nutrient absorption. The third phase, which is long-term, seeks to restore and maintain health. It draws more attention to the consumption of healthy fats and the quality and quantity of carbohydrates. The authors use the three phases as blueprints for creating treatment plans for over 20 gastrointestinal disorders, ranging from hemorrhoids and ulcers to constipation and Crohn's disease. In addition, Restoring Your Digestive Health contains 7 nutrient- or probiotic-rich recipes and some lifestyle recommendations that benefit digestive health.